As the Big Apple raises a glass to the third annual NY Craft Beer Week (Sept. 24-Oct. 3), two events promise to put Staten Island on the independent brewers’ map.

First up, the inaugural Staten Island Brewfest brings 35 specialty beer makers, along with a homebrewing contest to the borough Sept. 25. Three weeks later, on Oct. 16, the nine-month-old St. George Taps & Barley Beer Club pacifies its thirsty membership with its first craft beer crawl.

“These events just show what everyone who lives here and loves craft beer already knows — Staten Island is becoming a beer destination,” says Mark Zappasodi, founder of the New Brighton Homebrew Society.

He is one of about a dozen homebrewers already signed up to present at the Home Brewers Pavilion at Staten Island Brewfest, a beer expo that will be staged in the tented yard of The Wild Goose pub, 530 Forest Ave., West Brighton.

In addition to the homebrew contest, and tastings from the indie beer firms, Staten Island Brewfest serves up a historical component. The Staten Island Museum will exhibit artifacts detailing the borough’s mid-19th century past as a hotbed of brewing.

“Every borough in New York City had at least one beer festival, except this one,” says John Cocozza, proprietor of the Wild Goose and founder of Brewfest, of his inspiration. This time of the year is also the start of the traditional Octoberfest season, he notes. “My hope is next year, I cannot have it in the courtyard of the Wild Goose because demand will be so much bigger that we’ll have to move it to a park.”

About 350 tickets out of 600 remain for Brewfest, which will unfold in two sessions, noon-3 p.m. and 4-7 p.m. Tickets are $25 in advance and can be purchased at www.SIBrewfest.com. If any remain, admission will be $30 at the door. Food to match select beers will be available for separate purchase.

Entrance fees cover beer tastings, a commemorative plastic mug, a festival guide on the beers with space for taking notes and live music.

Each of the brewers will offer samples of at least two beers; some will pour as many as four or five sips. “Many of the beers are rare and hard to find. Much in the same way people age wine, higher-end beers can be aged, too. So some of these guys are actually going to the vault and pulling out beers from years back,” says Cocozza.

Among the “retired” brews will be Brooklyn Brewery’s Blast, a double IPA (Indian Pale Ale) from its Brewmaster Reserve series, and the 2006 Fort, billed as “the world’s strongest fruit beer,” from Dogfish Head based in Milton, Del.

Brewfest attendees will vote for their favorite beer of the fest, and in a Samuel Adams area, they’ll vote for one of two beers that Boston company has been testing all summer. Sam Adams will produce the audience favorite this fall.

The homebrewers, who are mixing everything from a sweet potato porter to a jalapeno pepper stout, will be judged by Dina Orlando of Dina’s Hideaway, Tottenville; Ken Tirado of Killmeyer’s Old Bavaria Inn, Charleston; Rob Renaud of the Dugout Pub & Grill, Port Richmond Center, and at least one mystery judge.

A few feet away from the Homebrewers Pavilion, Staten Island Museum historian Patricia Salmon will explain how, in the 19th-century, a large German population settled on the North Shore, including displaced brewmasters. They found the natural resources of Stapleton, i.e. fresh clean water from deep wells, and rolling hills with cool caves for storage, perfect for brewing.

“Beer was the beverage of choice for thousands of German immigrants,” says Salmon. “The establishment of breweries on Staten Island at not only Stapleton, but also at Four Corners and Clifton, is indicative of the diverse, social, ethnic and economic mix of people who were present on Staten Island during the 19th century.”

Among the artifacts she’s bringing — including several from the museum’s past “Stapleton: A Community of Contrast and Change” installation — will be an 1898 Robinson’s Atlas showing the location of Stapleton breweries, including Bechtel’s, Rubsam & Horrmann, Monroe Eckstein. Other items include beer bottles, coasters, beer trays, and traditional beer mugs from the breweries.

To encourage a safe night, Brewfest is encouraging attendees to take mass transit and is running a shuttle from the Staten Island Ferry to the Wild Goose every 20 minutes during both sessions of the event.

Responsible drinking is also a paramount concern for the St. George Taps & Barley Beer Club’s craft beer crawl. The brew crew invites serious suds swillers onto a yellow school bus at Cargo Cafe in St. George, before the gang rolls into Dina’s Hideaway, Killmeyer’s, the Wild Goose,Nurnberger Bierhaus in Castleton Corners and Adobe Blues in New Brighton before they return to Cargo.

“Since Staten Island is such a big place geographically and public transportation is not exactly reliable, this is going to be an opportunity to explore all of Staten Island’s premier good beer establishments,” says Nick Rozak, co-founder of the beer club. “The purpose for this crawl is not to go out to get sloshed. It’s to go out and find good beer and promote local establishments. We’re not going out and finding the $1.50 PBR (Pabst Blue Ribbon). These beers are much more expensive. You really don’t drink that much. You appreciate the one you bought instead of buying six.”

Beer crawl tickets are $45 for Taps & Barley club members and $55 for non-members. The higher price includes membership to the club, which meets monthly for samples from area independent breweries and discounted beers at Cargo, the club’s host restaurant and bar.

Crawl costs covers the bus and the first round of drinks at each establishment. Drinkers can tap into the full selection at every bar, says Rozak.

Bus space is limited. Tickets will be available at Cargo Cafe on certain days and at Brewfest. For more information, email stgeorgetaps@gmail.com

Tirado of Killmeyer’s keeps 20 beers on tap, all of them either craft or imports, and carries more than 100 craft or imported beers in bottles. He says the growing popularity of the craft beer movement on the Island has been a long time coming.

“It’s nice that the Wild Goose has this great selection of beer, and it does make it easier for the rest of us to present some of these beers — because we can actually say to the customer you can get it here, you can get it there,” he says. “The tide rises with all boats.”